United Utilities, which needed to lay a vital new trunk water main, lifted the closure on the B5278 last Friday.

All that remains of the works near Haverthwaite is a set of temporary two-way traffic lights near Bigland Hall Caravan Park, and the closure of a small road near Lane Ends. The Lane Ends road closure should end by Tuesday and the traffic lights by the end of next week.

Further work on Bessy Bank Lane in Coniston is planned for early April and is expected to last seven days.

It is all part of a £1m project to boost water supplies to communities in South Lakeland. United Utilities new two kilometre link main will give around 6,000 people living in places like Coniston, Hawkshead, Grizedale, Sawrey, Greenodd, Haverthwaite and the Crake and Rusland Valleys access to better, more reliable water supplies.

Project manager Peter Dalton thanked people for their patience during the road works, which left many facing a lengthy diversion.

“We couldn’t have achieved so much, so safely, without this short road closure, but we know what a nuisance it was and we are very grateful to local people for bearing with us. The good news is our project is on target to be finished on time by the end of May,” he said.